Timeline
A timeline of key events relevant to the world of Esshar. The Mythical Era Creation ''' '''Before Existence Prior to the beginnings of world, there was a great civil war in another dimension, the post-apocalyptic land of Atmos, where there were seven Archangels and an All-Powerful, tyrannical God. The Archangels were the only beings that truly had free will, able to make decisions outside of the omniscience and influence of the Atmosian God. One of these Archangels, Kraus Eternia, became disenchanted and rose up in rebellion. Aided by two other Archangels, he succeeded in creating his own Universe, separated and sealed off from Atmos. Roughly three hundred Angels joined him in the escape. Spark of Life The dimension of Eternia comes into existence following the spark of life, a divine flash that ushered in the beginning of time, and the cosmos as a whole - powered directly by the soul of the Creator. This act wasn't without sacrifice; it strained him to the point where his form was torn apart and scattered, but it was ultimately a success. The ten divine spirits were the first creatures to take shape, alongside another darker, more sinister entity. Their slumber was awoken by this presence of chaos; the desire to overcome strife ultimately willed them into action, and they remembered their purpose. Together the divine spirits triumphed against the challenges ahead and put their father's vision into action. The world, sun, moon, and stars came to be. Arrival of the Angels Sometime later, the angels arrived on Eternia. While there was initial disarray that Kraus wasn't with them, they followed his instructions and planted the first seed, which became the garden of Eden. The lifestream, the energy of the planet that flows out from the core, seemed to react to this instinctively, giving rise to both sentient and non-sentient forms of life. Humanity's First Steps The land mass of Eternia is primarily one continent during these early millenia, and while primitive compared to today's standards, the Empire of Zechoris rises as the first known civilization after an unknown about of time. 'Miracles of Man' The flow of magic is at its peak during the Mythical Age, and the most talented humans are demi-gods in their own right. Those who learn how to harness and control their magic go on to perform great feats. Observing the humans, some of the angels are surprised to find how different they are to them; in many ways, humanity is the opposite of their kind... passionate, impulsive, and compared to their own, unpredictable. Though they choose to keep their distance for now, nonetheless admiring their creativity and potential for good. 'The Timeless Relics of Peleoth' Peleoth, the grand forger of Zechoris, is given a redemption task by the Angel Thediel after seeking forigveness - as he felt like his hands were indirectly bloodied by the objects of death he produced in the past (in his own words). The angel instructs the artificer to produce works that are not forged to kill. These go on to become his finest pieces, Peleoth's Timeless Relics. 'Eye of Chronos: Petrakis Bloodline' The Archmagi Mihail Petrakis manages to stare into the time vortex, granting unparalleled control over the timestream. 'War of Nightmares' The Archmagi Amalia Eliade is able to nightmares into reality, giving rise to the demon race; directly from the fear of men. With her control over negative energy and a demonic army backing her, Amalia turns her attention to Zechoris, and the first recorded battle in history begins, the War of Nightmares. This bloody battle is believed to have lasted a long fifty years, creating many thousands of demons throughout the course of it. Mihail Petrakis is noted as defeating Amalia. Miya Eliade, Amalia's sister, survives and escapes with a remainder of their demon horde. 'Great Floods' Jormungand, the Great Leviathan, floods the world, rising sea levels and establishing the first oceans. The aquatic siren race are created to be the protectors of the oceans. The First Age :: 0AC - 1000AC The exact amount of time that passes between the Mythical Era and the First Age is unknown; it could be anywhere between two thousand years to five thousand as far as most scholars agree. The loss of reference material is namely attributed to the cataclysmic divine wars. There are many kingdoms on the six known continents: Mu, Brittania, Iloris, Gehenna, Sheng. '84AC:' War of Blood: Apropriya A civil war takes place in Apropriya after Cain, the brother of the king, Abel, slays his kin and becomes the first kingslayer and kinslayer. There is outrage throughout the world - Abel was a beloved king that maintained prosperous alliances with notable kingdoms. The angels Lethiel, Kushiel, and Jalethael are sent to mediate and give their judgement. Lethiel, disappointed with Cain's defiance, stabs him through the stomach and drives him up to the skies on the end of his spear; there, he is sentenced to a century of imprsionment in a divine sphere. '90AC:' Treaty of Nine Since the War of Blood, there is a sense of paranoia throughout the kingdoms. While many see the imprisonment of Cain as justice, humans have a desire to live freely and the idea that they could be struck down by a higher power is something a number of rulers find unnerving. This is perhaps worsened with the Treaty of Nine, where the council of angels agrees to impose five universal laws on the most influential kings and queens in the world. These laws were: *"You shall not give rise to anger or commit violence." *"You shall not eat the flesh of man. Only consume the flesh of animals if vegetation and grain is unavailable." *"You shall not fall to deceit with malicious intent, aspire to be truthful." *"You shall protect those who cannot protect themselves if you are able." *"You shall not be ruled by your lust, gluttony, or pride." '105AC - 109AC': Divine War I Many kingdoms have declared the angels as their enemy by now, refusing to abide by no law but their own. The insurgencies are put down by force - though with their limited numbers the angels find it difficult to manage this. There is, of course, much disagreement in their council; arguing for a more distanced approach, Azrael claims that Kraus's intention for humanity was to give them the freedom to decide their own path, as the humans have no wings that blacken like their own. The leaders of the council refuse this by stating that the apparent death of Kraus in creating Eternia may mean that the humans have unintended flaws, and an artist does not know what their painting will look like until they finally put down the brush. The council, unable to agree, disbands. The rebellion sect is lead by Azrael, and has most of the kingdom's support. Lethiel leads the original council, and the first Divine War begins. Many angels find that their wings darkened while forced to face their kin like this, including Azrael's. '125AC:' The First Undead Azrael had begun to secretly experiment with reviving the dead after overcome with grief by the losses accumilated in the divine war. The angel eecame obsessed with this, going so far as to free Cain from his imprisonment and use him as the first test subject, but it's an abject failure; while Cain does become immortal, he requires the lifeblood of humans to sustain this state, becoming the first vampire. '138AC:' Soulshard of Kraus In the Kingdom of Astya, there's a rumor that a healer, Ermis, is blessed with the will of the creator. He can cure everything from blindness to the sorrow of the heart. At the time this is dismissed as hearsay, but in actual fact the healer held a fragment of Kraus's soul, forming a connection with the Archangel that had lost their memories and much of their power. 140AC - 168AC: Divine War II The period of peace that followed was brief. The experiments of Azrael become impossible to ignore despite their heroism in the past, and they're banished from the council and imprisoned. They manage to escape however, aidedd by their supporters. This begins Divine War II. A master plan is put into motion: Azrael decides that the best way to save humanity is by killing every last one of them, then ressurecting them with his necromantic magic, enslaving everyone to his will; no more unecessary violence. The ends justify the means. The war lasts for almost thirty years, and entire kingdoms fall. When it looks like the undead armies of the fallen angel are on the verge of succeeding, the bearer of the soulshard of Kraus offers their life to give the Archangel a host. The sacrifice of Ermis leads to the defeat of Azrael. 170AC: Peace Pact Kraus takes their rightful place as the Head Angel, and his first act is to forbid an angel from ever killing or imprisoning a human again. The Peace Pact takes place, where many of the world's leaders attend - King Jorne Petrakis of Astya, Queen Eldgrim of Uray, the Sultan Zia of Vashrana, King Lysterg of Valmasia, the Warlord Kark of Vanirhalla. The majority agree to a proposal where divine storms will form around the nations to prevent another world war from occuring due to the instability left from these events, where stronger countries were already attempting to conquer weaker ones. The Peace Barriers last for roughly a millenia. 283AC: Desolation of Astya The ruins of Zechoris can be found near Astya, and the demon Mordred, rumored to have roots back to the Mythical Age, returns for vengeance; the descendants of Zechoris are almost completely wiped out, but the High Angel Malziel is able to intervene near the end of the devastation, teleporting several thousand refugees to the Continent of Mu. 284AC: Esshar The refugees of Astya begin their life in this new land. They are welcomed by the Kingdom of Mavolia and even granted rights to act as an indepedent nation. The royal lineage of Petrakis continues, and the noble houses of Astor, Pelleaux, and Grimmore are named the founding families and protectors of the bloodline. '290AC:' Defeat of Mordred Arthor Pendragon of Valmasia becomes the Wielder of Excalibur, a weapon forged by Kraus that's said to bring out the ultimate potential in the bearer. Mordred descends on Valmasia as a titanic mass of demonflesh, a moving mountain through the oceans, carrying hordes of demons with them; the Order of Light prevails, but Arthor dies in the final battle, managing to fell Mordred prior to his end. '320AC: '''Constellation of Leo The people of Esshar have developed a close relationship with Leanoeaus the Lion, the Divine Spirit of the stars. They develop their first astronomy systems. The workings of the yellow star, red star, and blue star are detailed by Nile Pelleaux. '465AC - 472AC:' War of the Dragon The Kingdom of Sluthia goes to war with Esshar, fuelled by the ambition of their leader, a Great Dragon: Myndrerrag. Ersen Astor slays the dragon with his sword Balmung, which becomes a national treasure. '''472AC:' Festival of the Eclipse To commemorate the lives lost in the War of the Dragon, a festival is held during a solar eclipse. Miraculously, many spirits are seen walking the lantern lit streets during the few minutes of darkness where the moon overlaps the sun. This then becomes tradition, held whenever astronomers are able to predict an eclipse - roughly every twenty five to thirty years or so. 690AC - 698AC: The Bastard Rebellion King Aris Petrakis was known for many things; a flare for games, generosity, and a strict non-militaristic stance...But also his many, many affairs. His marriage produced mostly stillborns, save for a single girl, Sibylla Petrakis. After the king's death, Eros Petaris made a claim for the throne on the grounds that the heir was too weak to rule, and the blood of the ancients ran through him far more potently. This was known as the Bastard's Rebellion. The supporting army managed to siege the City of Nuburg, securing the mountains and subsequently the trading outposts with the other four kingdoms of Esshar. They also managed to capture many nobles, using their lives to intimidate and blackmail key supporting houses to not lend their support. The Red Spring of Nuburg was the final battle of the rebellion. Supported by allied kingdoms, a successful two pronged attack took place on the fortified city. While Eros was put to death, Sibylla spared his wife and their children, mercifully letting them live out their days in a hillside cottage while under watch. 808AC - 840AC: The Witch Trials The start of the eighth century was marked by many unusual occurrences. Some nights would last the week, and some winters the entire year. Mysterious disappearances were common, and a rise in demon activity in the wilds. The militants of the True Faith were given the authorization to carry out trials on citizens during the crisis, though it was messy - witches are fantastic at surviving, blending in, even fooling truth potions. Many thousands of innocents were put to the stake. More often than not this tended to be the disenfranchised, such as beastkin. After a few true witch covens were rooted out and executed, the supernatural events did come to a close, but for every witch dead there were a hundred innocent. 842AC: Children of the Woodland Many tribes of beastkin breakaway from the city and form their own independent societies, small woodland villages. Their religion is based around living in harmony with nature. The Second Age :: 1000AC 1000AC: The Grand Games To mark the turn of the millennia, a week long feast of games takes place, ending with a tournament where some of the best of Esshar compete. It becomes tradition for each rule to host their own Grand Games, and to outdo the last. '1200AC: '''Age of Exploration The peace barriers have faded to the point where naval travel is feasible, though still dangerous. The nations of the world begin to interact once more. '1400AC:' Discovery of Agartha The Explorer Zheng uncovers the land of Agartha, believed to be the physical location where the universe itself began - the spire shards are crystalized fragments of the creator's divine magic, and they soon become a prized attraction, garnerning the interest of multiple Great Nations. Gehenna, Valmasia, and Jianghu who send expedition forces. '''1500 - 1550AC': Conquest of Rhoynur After enduring multiple attacks from the Rhoynur, Esshar declares war and gradually conquers their lands. Many of Rhoynur's people are enslaved.